Nightmares & Metformin

Grant

Posted 03 February 2006 - 05:02 AM

Grant

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Hi people. Question for you. My doctor has upped my dosage of Metformin 500mg from 2 tablets daily to 3 tablets daily. I asked her what possible side effects could arise from this, if any. She said I could be "gassy" but that wasn't really a big problem as I deal with that as a side effect of them anyway. She said if I had any serious side effects to contact her. Since upping my tabs to 3 a day I've had seriously graphic nightmares that are infact horrifying me even when I'm awake; they are not the ones easily forgetful - you know what I mean, we've all had those from time to time. Does anyone else have horrific nightmares when they have upped their dosage of Metformin and if so, does it go away, or do I need to see the doctor again? I want to do anything to help maintain my diabetes but I don't want to become a psycho in the process :laugh: Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.

sydneya

Posted 03 February 2006 - 12:12 PM

sydneya

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Nope, never had nightmares from metformin. I get diahhrea once in awhile. I'd follow Karen's suggestion and give it a week or so if you can handle it. If not I'd make a phone call. Hope they go away--I hate nightmares.

" Those who wait for roast duck to fly in mouth must wait a very long time. If you need something, don't wait. Go get it."

"This one makes a net. This one sits and wishes. Can you make a bet, which one catches fishes?"
______________________
Syd--20 years Type II diabetes 18 years insulin dependent.

Grant

Posted 03 February 2006 - 01:56 PM

Is this a known side effect of Metformin?? I've awakened with night terrors ever since roughly the time I started it. For years.... I have to use a sleep helper to get me through these nights.

I've done a bit of research into Metformin and I can't find anywhere it stating that nightmares are a known side-effect, thats why I brought the subject here to see what the users of this forum might have experienced regarding it. I'll take the advice given to me here and give it another week at most then contact my GP. Thanks everyone

Posted 03 February 2006 - 07:48 PM

Fenway

Posted 03 February 2006 - 07:53 PM

Fenway

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I'm not taking this drug, and am not familiar with the side effects. I do know about night terrors, though. 10 years ago I was on Elavil, one of the tricyclic antidepressants, for relief of RSD symptoms. Elavil did lessen the problems, but I had to stop 2° to the terrors. The night I woke in a panic, attacking my husband, was the night I threw the pills in the toilet.

Grant

Posted 04 February 2006 - 02:19 AM

Grant

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Have you discussed this with your MD?

Good luck with this - I can totally empathize.

I'm giving it another week before I go to the doctors with this problem, luckily I didn't have any nightmares last night but I did have an unusually big temper with my parents for absolutely no reason whatsoever, locked myself in my room for the night and refused to eat. I didn't take my Metformin either, so thats (perhaps) why no nightmares, though I dread to think the state my sugar levels are now in.

Phranky

Posted 06 February 2006 - 10:21 AM

Hey - I was diagnosed three weeks ago with Type 11, I'm on metformin 2 x1000mg in the morning, the same at dinner, and then another one before bed. That's a total of 2500mg per day!

Mind you, as the endo pointed out, I'm a fair sized man at 6'4" and 230lbs - but this stuff is amazing, dropped my bs down right into the range he said. He was looking for between 4-7 before eating and then between 5-10 after eating. The other day I actually got down to 4.1 reading when I first woke up. The endo said it was a very early diagnosis and if I continue to keep my diet and excercise up ( I've lost about 75 starting from last year, that why I was surprised to get nailed with this) I may be able to drastically lower my dosage.

Nightmares - no, just farting a little more, but I'm lucky, I'm not getting any of the side effects so far.

DaveC426913

Posted 06 February 2006 - 12:08 PM

DaveC426913

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Re: Metformin and going too low.

My doc told me that going low was not a risk associated with Metformin (not that you won't go low on Metformin, just that it doesn't increase the problem) - not like it is with Glyburide, which I found made me quite crashy.

Peter Lee

Posted 06 February 2006 - 12:24 PM

Peter Lee

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I have been taking Metformin now for over a year and currently have no problems.

However..........

I did go through a phase when my sugar was on its way down of having very disturbed sleep, sometimes with vivid dreams but only one nighmare (which for me was a dream plus panic attack). This phase lasted about a month or so. Once my sugar was within the target control of 6 (108) my sleep got better and the dreams returned to a normal level.

It's impossible for me to say whether this was caused by the Metformin or the falling sugar level.

hillbilly

Posted 06 February 2006 - 03:15 PM

Hey - I was diagnosed three weeks ago with Type 11, I'm on metformin 2 x1000mg in the morning, the same at dinner, and then another one before bed. That's a total of 2500mg per day!

Mind you, as the endo pointed out, I'm a fair sized man at 6'4" and 230lbs - but this stuff is amazing, dropped my bs down right into the range he said. He was looking for between 4-7 before eating and then between 5-10 after eating. The other day I actually got down to 4.1 reading when I first woke up. The endo said it was a very early diagnosis and if I continue to keep my diet and excercise up ( I've lost about 75 starting from last year, that why I was surprised to get nailed with this) I may be able to drastically lower my dosage.

Nightmares - no, just farting a little more, but I'm lucky, I'm not getting any of the side effects so far.

Ohhh....and you can get used to low carb beer! haha

Phranky

did you loose 75 lbs and what was your bs b4 you started taking meds ,and whats this 4-7 reading about how do you come up with this and when i first stared these pills what a nightmare way different than a dream or any nightmare i ever had it was real

Erin

Posted 06 February 2006 - 03:20 PM

Erin

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Grant,

You mentioned in another thread sometimes feeling shaky at night, and then in this one about vivid nightmares.

I don't know about Metformin, but I DO know about hypoglycemia, and vivid dreams / nightmares are a documented symptom of night-time low blood sugar. I think you might be going low overnight. I have crazy dreams if I go low over night. Try testing before bed, and testing again if you wake up from a vivid dream / nightmare... I think you'll find yourself hypo.

You could also try eating a bed time snack every night. something with carbs and protein, like the ever favorite cheese and crackers!

That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.
- Dorothy Parker

Erin

Posted 06 February 2006 - 03:24 PM

Erin

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I'm giving it another week before I go to the doctors with this problem, luckily I didn't have any nightmares last night but I did have an unusually big temper with my parents for absolutely no reason whatsoever, locked myself in my room for the night and refused to eat. I didn't take my Metformin either, so thats (perhaps) why no nightmares, though I dread to think the state my sugar levels are now in.

Sorry for posting so much, but did you know that having a short temper and / or irrational / inexplicable behavior is ALSO a sign of low blood sugar? Do you test your sugar levels?

That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.
- Dorothy Parker

Grant

Posted 06 February 2006 - 04:55 PM

Sorry for posting so much, but did you know that having a short temper and / or irrational / inexplicable behavior is ALSO a sign of low blood sugar? Do you test your sugar levels?

Hi Erin,

Please don't apologise for posting; I really appreciate the feedback

Recently, my nightmares haven't been as violent, but they have been extremely vivid. I think you are more than right about my sugars going low over night, because during the day they are 6.0 or under, even when I've eaten, so I think when I haven't eaten and get shakey they would have dropped even lower

I usually test twice a day - once before breakfast, and once again before my dinner. But I will now test before I go to bed and when I wake up after a vivid dream.

As for bedtime snacks - last night, I wasn't able to find any crackers, so I had a bag of Skips, which I'm allowed to have as they are low sugar/fat.

I did not know that bad temper/ irrational behaviour is also symptom of low sugar, thanks for the information, it's really helpful. Though I am on citalopram once a day for depression; however what disturbed me was I hadn't an outburst like that for months.

Sunflower

Posted 16 August 2008 - 10:29 AM

Sunflower

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Hi people. Question for you. My doctor has upped my dosage of Metformin 500mg from 2 tablets daily to 3 tablets daily. I asked her what possible side effects could arise from this, if any. She said I could be "gassy" but that wasn't really a big problem as I deal with that as a side effect of them anyway. She said if I had any serious side effects to contact her. Since upping my tabs to 3 a day I've had seriously graphic nightmares that are infact horrifying me even when I'm awake; they are not the ones easily forgetful - you know what I mean, we've all had those from time to time. Does anyone else have horrific nightmares when they have upped their dosage of Metformin and if so, does it go away, or do I need to see the doctor again? I want to do anything to help maintain my diabetes but I don't want to become a psycho in the process :laugh: Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.

I have been on Metformin for 4 weeks now (500x2) and also have been experiencing vivid nightmarish dreams that are very disturbing. Then in the morning I wake up with a pounding headache that stays with me for approximately two hours. This didn't start until the third week of taking Metformin. My numbers have dropped to the normal range. I am currently experimenting with only taking one pill in the morning and skipping the second one in the evening altogether. Immediately the nightmares and headaches stopped. My readings have stayed in the normal range with only the half dosage of Metformin daily, which might be in part because I have been true to my diet to keep my readings normal. Hope this helps, time will tell in my case if I am doing the right thing.